


On An Impulse Not Entirely Fuelled By Alcohol

by Biscuit Lion (cookiethelion)



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: 5 Times, Getting Together, Hamburgers, M/M, Mild Language, Oblivious wooseok, Roommates to lovers, background Jinho/Hongseok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 20:26:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21380080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookiethelion/pseuds/Biscuit%20Lion
Summary: Wooseok had learnt that if they ever ate fast food, it was best to let Shinwon decide his own burger. The only exception was when Wooseok felt compelled to apologise; the offering of a burger usually sped up the process of being forgiven, and Shinwon wasn’tthatfussy to turn down a free meal.
Relationships: Jung Wooseok/Ko Shinwon
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	On An Impulse Not Entirely Fuelled By Alcohol

**Burger #1**

Wooseok stopped outside the door to his own flat, 45 minutes after finishing work. Instead of finding his keys, he pressed the doorbell with one hand; and with the other, he held up the McDonald’s takeaway of one burger to the side of his head.

The door opened. Shinwon was on the other side, with the hoover by his feet for once; he had a practiced, disgruntled look on his face, which Wooseok countered by grinning and pointing at the takeaway. Shinwon smiled as he took the bag, but then he looked serious again as he pointed the hose of the hoover at Wooseok.

“Pat yourself down,” said Shinwon. “You’re not bringing in any more spiders with you.”

“Who are you, and what have you done with Shinwon?” said Wooseok as he dusted himself off. Of course the one time Shinwon would bother to clean the flat was after a spider invasion. “I took the bus home today.”

“What did you do that for?” Shinwon lowered the hose, and began to kick the hoover further into the flat. “It’s sunny today. You should’ve taken the bus yesterday, when it was pouring it down.”

Wooseok pouted as he entered the flat. “I could’ve taken an earlier bus home. I went to get that burger for you.”

“Ah, alright, apology accepted.” Shinwon broke into a grin, and so did Wooseok.

There were moments when Wooseok thought it was funny how his reluctance to work part time at Burger King four years ago would lead to him meeting his future flatmate. Shinwon had been the first colleague that Wooseok had befriended, not in the least because of how chatty he was. Within the first week, Wooseok had learnt all about Shinwon’s family, his fear of hurting animals and his general aversion to bugs, and that he adored hamburgers, especially the ones from McDonald’s.

“Why didn’t you work for McDonald’s?” Wooseok had asked.

“It’s better to avoid somewhere you love,” Shinwon had answered.

A year into their friendship, Wooseok had started university, but he’d failed to secure a place in the dorms; and since Shinwon had just graduated but was struggling to pay the rent by his salary alone, the two decided to become flatmates. Together, they’d rented so many places they’d lost count ages ago; and although they had lived with other people from time to time, it somehow always ended up with just the two of them left. Wooseok preferred it this way—and although he’d never discussed the topic with Shinwon, he was sure the older man felt the same.

Three years on, Wooseok was now working full time in the part time job that had kept him afloat during his studies; and Shinwon was still a personal shopper in a department store, but he now had a fledgling Instagram account with 100 followers. Along the way, Wooseok had learnt that if they ever ate fast food, it was best to let Shinwon decide his own burger. The only exception was when Wooseok felt compelled to apologise; the offering of a burger usually sped up the process of being forgiven, and Shinwon wasn’t _that_ fussy to turn down a free meal.

“By the way,” said Shinwon, once Wooseok had showered and changed his clothes, “Hongseok’s coming over tonight. I said I’d teach him how to optimize his likes on Instagram.”

“_You’re_ teaching him?” Wooseok snorted. “Were the courses too expensive?”

“Excuse me, I’m a pro at bringing in the numbers.”

“You only got your hundredth follower last week.”

“It’s still an achievement.”

“You’ve had that account for two years now. That’s not even one new follower a week.”

Shinwon narrowed his eyes. “I thought you were shit at maths.”

“Not if I get to drag you,” said Wooseok, grinning. Shinwon responded by loudly gasping and pretending to faint by blatantly kneeling over first, and then flopping onto his back at an odd angle. Wooseok stepped over his flatmate; and as he entered the kitchen, he heard Shinwon yell—

“You’re supposed to give me the kiss of life.”

“I’ll do it when you faint for real,” said Wooseok, without looking behind him.

Hongseok arrived an hour later. During university, Wooseok had joined a gym—a move made after consuming god knows how many pints—and the price alone had scared him into going. On his first day, he’d encountered Hongseok, when it was just the two of them using the rowing machines. Wooseok couldn’t remember who’d made the first introduction; all he knew was that they’d become gym buddies first, and a steady friendship had bloomed not long after.

Nowadays, Hongseok lived four floors above them in the same apartment block. He had been here longer by a year. On the day that Shinwon found out their last landlord had decided to throw them out, Wooseok had gone to the gym and moaned all about flat hunting again to Hongseok; and the latter’s instant response was, “There’s a flat where I live. I heard it’s going to be vacant soon. I’ll pass the details on to you later.” Afterwards, Shinwon had made it his priority to really get to know Hongseok; and the three of them were now just as close.

Hongseok turned up carrying a hand-sized machine that both Wooseok and Shinwon had never seen before; and all attention was focused on the machine. They gathered around the coffee table in the living room, just staring at the machine like they were in some sort of museum.

“That’s a portable printer,” said Hongseok. He was tapping away on his phone. “It can print photos off a phone. I found it online, and thought it was really neat. I’ll show you.”

The printer beeped, and they all fell silent as they watched a photo slowly emerge from the bottom. Hongseok picked up the completed picture, and after inspecting it over for a few seconds, he handed it to Wooseok.

“This one’s quite good,” he said, smiling. “Give me your phone, Shinwon. I can connect it to the printer.”

While Hongseok busied himself, Wooseok held the photo to his side so Shinwon could see as well. The photo was a selfie that Jinho had taken when he was sat in Hongseok’s lap; one arm was around Hongseok’s shoulders, and the other was holding the camera. Hongseok had both arms around Jinho’s waist, and they were both making kisses to the camera.

“The quality’s great,” said Shinwon. He looked at Hongseok. “Where did you buy it from?”

“I found it on Naver,” said Hongseok. He handed Shinwon his phone again. “I’ll give you the link later. Your phone’s ready, so pick and photo, and press the top button there.”

Wooseok could hardly resist. “It’s going to be a nude, isn’t it?” he said, grinning.

“God, no,” said Hongseok, “you’re not sullying my printer like that.”

Shinwon rolled his eyes. “Wooseok-ie, we have a _guest_ here.”

It took Shinwon a while to make his choice; but after excessive teasing on Wooseok’s part (“It’s definitely going to be a topless photo”; “He’s trying to find the beefiest one”; “You know, Shinwon-ie, I don’t think you’ve got _any_ clothed photos on there”) the printer beeped at last, and it printed a picture of someone sat under a tree—no, not _someone_, but Wooseok.

Wooseok frowned as he took the photo. He had his eyes closed, and he had pulled a branch down so the shadow covered mainly his forehead. Then he remembered the photo had been taken three months ago, when they’d gone to a nearby town following weeks of research from Shinwon. He had discovered a park early on which, he’d declared, would look pretty for Instagram. Wooseok had tagged along as his photographer, as usual.

He could still remember Shinwon’s pink polo shirt, and how he’d taken care to crease the collar just a little. Shinwon had wanted to take a photo of himself under the tree, but he’d doubted too how the finished photo would look, so he’d made Wooseok stand in for him, as a test. He’d taken about ten photos in total; but after going through them all, he’d said—

“I think we should try something else. It’s not going to look good on me.”

“What’re you talking about?” Wooseok had said, “It would suit you.”

“No,” Shinwon had said, “it looks best on you. Hey, there’s a hire bike store—” With breakneck speed, Shinwon had walked off to the hut, and then determined that he’d take a few photos on a bike instead.

Wooseok remembered everything as he stared at the photo. He passed it over to Hongseok, and then looked at Shinwon. The latter was gently gnawing on his nails.

“How come you chose a picture of me?” said Wooseok.

“I wanted to test the colour,” said Shinwon. “Look how green the tree is.”

“I think you picked well,” said Hongseok. “I’ll connect your phone as well, Wooseok.”

Wooseok nodded, but he kept his eyes on Shinwon, whose face was now pinker than usual. If only he hadn’t teased his flatmate so much. He was determined to find the most flattering picture he had of Shinwon; but as he searched through his gallery, every picture he seemed to have fell short of his expectations, somehow. Even the photo he ended up printing didn’t seem as bright, or as pretty as the one Shinwon had picked.

Lucky for Wooseok, his day off was tomorrow—and he knew exactly how to make up for his blunder.

  


**Burger #2**

“You’ve got the day off today, haven’t you?” was Shinwon’s first words to Wooseok, the next morning. He was still in his pyjamas, but he hadn’t bothered to do up any of his shirt buttons.

Wooseok narrowed his eyes. “What do you want with me?”

“I’ve been looking stuff up, and there’s a cafe not too far from here,” said Shinwon. “I’m sure it’d look good on Instagram, and I would _quite_ like to have a photographer with me...”

“You know, you should really start paying your photographer.”

Shinwon pouted a little. “I’ll treat you to a latte—and I’ll let you choose the artwork.”

Wooseok grinned. “Alright, I’ll come with you. You’re, er, not going like that, are you?”

“Nope. Only my housemate gets this treat.” Shinwon let the top slide off his torso.

Wooseok rolled his eyes. If only he had a won for every time he saw Shinwon at any level of nudity.

“Do you mind?” said Wooseok, as he pointed at his breakfast. “I’m trying to eat.”

“You love it, really.”

There was a time and place to discuss how much Wooseok ‘loved’ seeing Shinwon topless, and it was most definitely not the first thing in the morning, when Wooseok wanted a little peace. Still, he eyed Shinwon’s shoulders; if only his own were as wide as his flatmate’s! He always looked forward to the autumn and winter photos more, if only because he got to see Shinwon wearing coats. He’d always thought his figure suited them.

Lucky for Wooseok, Shinwon had picked out a black blazer that shimmered, paired over a white shirt that was open two buttons down from the top, and skinny black jeans that were more ripped down the left leg. In comparison, Wooseok had thrown on the first hoodie he’d found that didn’t have any unsightly stains.

“You look like a teenager whose mum isn’t home yet,” was Shinwon’s comment.

“I’m only the photographer,” said Wooseok. “I can dress however I want.”

“I would like my photographer to have some sense of style as well. When I’m a top KOL—”

“You can start policing me when you become one.”

The train ride was twenty minutes, but it took a further ten minutes walking before they arrived at the cafe. There was nothing remarkable about the brick exterior; and in Wooseok’s opinion, the latte art wasn’t exactly as outstanding as he thought it would be. Shinwon had opted for a heart, but it hadn’t been joined very well in the middle, making it look like it was in the process of being broken. Wooseok’s own drink had been adorned with a leaf, but it did look a bit like a squiggle.

What mattered was that Shinwon seemed happy, and Wooseok was just pleased to have bagged a free drink. The first few pictures were focused on the cup alone, although Wooseok angled the camera so that the heart looked more complete. Afterwards, the pictures all involved Shinwon somehow. He alternated between interacting with the cup—whether it was picking it up, or gesturing at the heart—and completely ignoring it, all while Wooseok ran around the table and stood and kneeled and crouched and bent down to capture the best angles.

“I’m not getting paid enough for this,” Wooseok said, as he stood next to Shinwon. The art had been melting around the edges for a while, but it was becoming too noticeable on the camera now. He reckoned this was going to be the last photo before they would have to drink their coffee.

“I’ve already treated you to a drink,” said Shinwon. “What do you want me to do?”

“You could pretend to drink your latte.”

“Alright, art director.” Shinwon smiled as he bought the cup to his mouth, and eyed the camera. There was a subtle, flirty glint in his eyes; and Wooseok smiled as he took the photo.

Shinwon’s acting had really improved over the past year, and it seemed his followers felt the same too. The number of likes on each post had gradually doubled, then tripled, and so did the slew of comments that contained words like “handsome” and “oppa” and a string of different coloured hearts. It cheered Wooseok every time he saw the comments. Finally, he was starting to get some recognition.

“I think I’ll need to drink this,” said Shinwon, now looking down at his cup.

“Me too,” said Wooseok, as he returned to his seat. His squiggle had dissolved into a white, slightly oblong puddle.

They drank their lukewarm coffees as they went through the photos. If Shinwon had any objections, they were usually along the lines of “why does my jaw look so square?”, or “my left hand looks bigger than my right”, or “Wooseok! You’re in the reflection!”, but otherwise, Shinwon could hardly stop smiling.

“You’re getting better at taking photos,” said Shinwon.

“You’re posing better as well,” said Wooseok. “Which one’s your favourite?”

Shinwon swiped the screen for a while, and then showed Wooseok the last photo he’d taken.

“That’s my favourite too,” said Wooseok. “I’m sure you’ll get loads of likes for that one.”

“You think I will?”

“I’m confident.” Wooseok glanced down. He had long finished his drink, and Shinwon only had dregs left in his. “What do you want to do next, hyung?”

“I need to do some outfit of the day shots. I don’t really have anything else planned after that.”

“What about lunch?”

Shinwon shrugged. “I guess we’ll just go wherever’s the nearest.”

They left the cafe ten minutes later. Wooseok just followed Shinwon down dozens of streets before he found the perfect one. As Wooseok shuffled around Shinwon, capturing his outfit from all directions, he observed the shops around them, and then grinned when he spotted a McDonalds sign. It was slightly tucked away in a side street, but at least Wooseok had the chance to buy another apology burger.

“I’ve found somewhere for lunch,” said Wooseok, once they were finished. “I’ll treat you.”

Shinwon narrowed his eyes. “You only ever say that when you want something from me.”

“Not this time,” said Wooseok. Then, on an impulse that emerged from somewhere in the back of his mind, he grabbed Shinwon’s wrist and lead him to the McDonalds.

He was waiting for his flatmate to comment, but he said nothing, not even when Wooseok stopped in front of the store. He turned around just in time to see Shinwon flinch and look over his shoulder. His arm shook, and he felt Shinwon slip his wrist out of his grip.

When Shinwon turned back, he kept his eyes on the McDonalds sign. He said, “What do you want to buy me a burger for?”

“I feel really bad about yesterday,” said Wooseok, “when you tried out the printer, and I thought you’d pick a picture of yourself.”

Shinwon laughed as he looked at Wooseok again.

“I’m not offended, Wooseok-ie. I could totally send Hongseok a nude and get him to print _that_ off for you if—”

“No way, hyung.” Wooseok pulled a disgusted face. Somehow, the idea of anyone else seeing a topless photo of Shinwon wasn’t quite sitting right with him. “I still really want to buy you a burger.”

“You’re so sweet, Wooseok-ie,” said Shinwon, and he pounced. Wooseok just rolled his eyes as he let Shinwon latch his arms around his shoulders and plant a sloppy kiss on the underside of his jaw.

“Are you ever going to let go?” said Wooseok. Shinwon’s only response was a low hum, and Wooseok dragged him into the restaurant.

  


**Burger #3**

It was fair to say that nightclubs weren’t exactly Wooseok’s forte—especially not VIP rooms in a slightly rundown club that was not as popular as the website had made it seem. He only came because Shinwon had planned the evening for a while with Hwitaek, and they needed a photographer.

Hwitaek was one of Shinwon’s regular clients, and the source of Shinwon’s ambition to become a KOL. Hwitaek was doing better than Shinwon, having racked up over 500 followers in three and a half years, including Wooseok, who did like to look through Hwitaek’s photos every now and then.

“This will look good,” said Hwitaek, as they sorted through the photos. Hwitaek had his arm around Shinwon’s shoulders. “We just need to add a filter or two.”

“I don’t know, Hwitaek-ie,” said Shinwon, frowning. “I think we should redo some of them.”

Wooseok just looked at them. Hwitaek and Shinwon were both wearing leather jackets, as planned; but while Shinwon had gone for a brown jacket and a pair of not-so-ripped jeans, Hwitaek had opted for a bright red jacket that matched the soles of his chunky trainers over a black ensemble underneath, and a hat. The wide brim blocked most of Shinwon’s face from Wooseok’s view; and for some reason, Wooseok really wanted to just grab the hat and chuck it in the corner.

“OK, we can do that,” said Hwitaek, as he placed a hand on Wooseok’s shoulder, “we’ve got time. Wooseok-ie, could you...?”

“Of course,” said Wooseok, and he took the camera.

The shoot ended with the three of them downing a large tray full of shots, all brightly coloured in hues of green, blue, red, and black. The glasses were small, but Wooseok could feel the alcohol from each shot burn his mouth. After that, there was nothing left to do afterwards except to order more drinks, and dance and sing and enjoy the rest of their time in the booth.

Wooseok spent most of his time lying on the sofa, too afraid to move. He was sure he was hovering instead of lying down; and when he tried to move his arm, he ended up bringing it over his body and almost fell off the sofa. It had to be from whatever was in all those damn shots. He could still clearly see Shinwon and Hwitaek dancing away, although Shinwon was also stumbling a little, and his face was just as red as Hwitaek’s. Wooseok mostly saw him from the side, but it had never occurred to him before how beautiful his side profile was.

Then he heard Hwitaek laugh, and it was grating enough to make Wooseok shut his eyes. He swore he’d only shut them for a second, but he then felt someone dragging him off the sofa. Wooseok opened his eyes to find himself facing Shinwon; his arms were around his flatmate’s shoulders, and he was somehow walking.

“You haven’t danced,” said Shinwon. His words were a little slurred.

“I don’t—” Wooseok stopped talking as he felt something in his stomach. He’d seen Shinwon take so much care in ironing the shirt and storing his clothes in those zip-up clothes covers that the last thing he wanted was to ruin his outfit.

“I want to dance with you.”

Their dancing surmounted to two drunken people going around in circles and clutching onto each other for support, but Wooseok was satisfied. He couldn’t quite look away from Shinwon’s eyes; his stare was clouded by alcohol, but there was something else struggling to break through. Wooseok thought it looked familiar.

The same something that had been in Wooseok’s stomach earlier had now travelled upwards into his throat, and he pushed Shinwon away. He tried to crouch over, but his gag reflex beat them both, and some of his vomit splattered Shinwon’s jeans and shoes. Wooseok’s memory failed him at that point; he remembered lying down on the cold floor and looking up at a light that changed from red to purple and back; and then, he found himself sitting up in his bed, squinting from the sunlight that shone through his window. His head was in so much agony that he worried his neck was going to snap.

He got out of bed. OK, so someone had carried him back to his flat—but why was he topless now? Oh, no, he hadn’t ruined his shirt last night, had he? Wooseok grabbed the first t-shirt he found in his wardrobe, and he shuffled out of his room.

The first thing he heard was the washing machine, and he followed the noise into the kitchen. Shinwon was stood next to the machine, with a steaming mug in his hand. His hair was all over the place, and his eyes were a reddish-pink.

“Wooseok-ie,” said Shinwon. His voice was weak. “You’re awake already?”

“Morning, hyung,” said Wooseok, in an equally hushed tone. He frowned at the machine. Through the door, he could see a lot of foam. “Did you put it on?”

“I had to,” said Shinwon. “Your shirt was covered in sweat, and I didn’t want my jeans stained.”

Wooseok flushed as he remembered throwing up on Shinwon now. He could hardly meet Shinwon’s eyes as he said, “I’m so sorry hyung. You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No,” said Shinwon, and Wooseok looked up. “You were pissed last night, and anyway, you tried to save my clothes.”

“Did I?” said Wooseok, as he clutched his head.

“You shoved me away, remember?”

“Don’t make me think about stuff. It’s hurting my brain. I’ll just buy you a burger and make up for whatever the hell I did last night.”

“You really don’t—”

“Stop protesting, hyung.”

Shinwon just smiled, and so they spent their lunch at McDonalds. They settled down by the window, and it wasn’t long before they went through Hwitaek’s Instagram on Shinwon’s phone. He had already uploaded six of the photos from last night. Most of them had been run through a filter that, in Wooseok’s view, didn’t really seem to enhance the photos, and he’d used far too many tags. At least he had added Shinwon’s handle correctly, and all the comments underneath were positive.

“_Oppa looks so handsome_,” Wooseok read out, smiling, “_I love you, oppa_. You’ve got loads of hearts there.”

“I knew it’d be worth it,” said Shinwon. His grin was just as wide as Wooseok's. “The pictures look great, the comments are great, _and_ I’ve got a free burger.”

“You wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t been sick.”

“Sometimes, Wooseok-ie, one bad thing leads to something good.” Shinwon winked, and stuffed two more fries into his mouth.

“What’s this one?” said Wooseok, now looking at the phone again. “_You and Shinwon oppa look like a couple_.”

Wooseok slapped the back of the phone, knocking it out of Shinwon’s hand and onto the table, where it landed face down. Wooseok stared; of course someone was going to make that comment, given the amount of care that had been taken in co-ordinating their outfits. He’d been expecting it from the moment they’d started their shoot—so he had no idea why his kneejerk reaction was to throw a slight tantrum, and he bit into his burger to avoid any questions.

“You see?” said Shinwon, as he picked up his phone. “You still would’ve been paying for a burger today.”

Wooseok just blushed in response, his mouth still stuffed full.

  


**Burger #4**

Wooseok knew he should have alerted Shinwon about the beehive on the other side, but he looked so cool and sleek leaning against the tree that he wanted to take the photo first, when the mood was still right. Then a bee flew past Shinwon, and the air was immediately filled with his screams and cries of “Wooseok-aaaah”.

Shinwon hid behind Wooseok, his fingers digging hard into his forearm. Wooseok just burst out laughing.

“This isn’t funny—” Shinwon started, before interrupting himself with a gasp. “Did you know about it?”

“You looked really cool, hyung—” was all Wooseok could say.

“Wooseok-ie—!”

Shinwon screamed as another bee flew past. Wooseok yelped as he felt his housemate pull his arm. He did it too sharply, because Wooseok rapidly lost his balance; and as he fell over, he somehow managed to push Shinwon over with him.

Shinwon landed on the ground first, and Wooseok on top of him. He ended up sitting in Shinwon’s lap, while one hand pressed down on his housemate’s satchel, and the base of the other palm dug into the grass. His straightened arm meant he didn’t fall over onto his back—but before Wooseok could even register what the hell had just happened, he heard Shinwon shriek. Within a second, he was shoved onto the ground; and as he rolled over, he felt Shinwon withdraw his legs from underneath him.

“Bees—” was all Shinwon said before he ran away.

Wooseok looked up. Shinwon’s face was red, but he was keeping his bag in front of his hips and groin. Surely he would want to protect his face, or neck, wouldn’t he, if the bees were intent on chasing them? He couldn’t possibly update his Instagram with pictures that cut out his head.

Wooseok scrambled to his feet, and he soon caught up with Shinwon, who had decided that the safest distance was wherever he could reach in a five minute run. They were both out of breath, but Shinwon was still looking shell-shocked and betrayed.

“Woah, you run really fast, hyung,” said Wooseok.

“You better not have any pictures of me screaming.”

Wooseok smirked. “What makes you so sure?”

Shinwon’s eyes widened. “Delete them—”

“I’ll delete them over lunch. Are you sure you don’t want me to keep just _one_ ugly photo?”

“Don’t you even dare. I have an _image_ on Instagram.”

“Only 100 people know about you.”

“One hundred and _two_ people.”

Wooseok was a little disappointed that the photos from their café and nightclub outings hadn’t attracted more followers. As he’d predicted, there had been a more likes and the comments than before, but he couldn’t help feel their efforts were still underappreciated. Shinwon had joked, of course, that both his new followers were just Wooseok under two different accounts—even though one was clearly the personal account of a teenage girl who lived in Mokpo, and the other was a twenty year old currently studying abroad in America.

Lunch was, of course, paid by Wooseok once they’d found the nearest McDonalds. This time, though, not even a free burger could fully appease Shinwon, as both Wooseok and Hongseok found out that evening. The latter had come round for something, but that had to give way to Shinwon telling him a dramatized account of the morning.

“He _knows_ I hate bees, and he didn’t even a say a _thing_,” Shinwon concluded. “He’s so mean to me, isn’t he, Hongseok-ie?”

Wooseok was struggling to keep a straight face as he made eye contact with their friend. Hongseok had to know by now that Shinwon was only speaking in jest, but he was still looking at them both like they were crazy.

“When you put it like that…” said Hongseok.

“But before the bees, we took loads of great photos,” said Wooseok, grinning, “didn’t we, Shinwon-ie?”

“Wooseok’s got a point—”

“Hongseok-ie,” said Shinwon, “how can you switch sides like that?”

Deciding that it was probably a good time to move on, Wooseok cut across with, “Wasn’t there something you wanted to say to us?”

Hongseok nodded. “Jinho and I have organised a little get together next Saturday, and we’d love it if you came.”

Wooseok perked up. He looked over to Shinwon, who had also sat forward at the mention.

“Who else is going?” said Wooseok.

“Hwitaek’s already said yes. Jinho’s gone to ask Changgu and Yan An right now. I asked Yuto and Hyunggu yesterday, but they’re not too sure if they can make it. We’ve got a few more mates coming round too, but you don’t know them.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m free,” said Shinwon. “What about you, Wooseok-ie?”

“I think I am as well,” said Wooseok. He wanted to turn to Hongseok, but there was something about the way Shinwon was smiling that caught his eye for a second longer. He wasn’t smiling enough to make his cheekbones rise, but there was a certain amount of relief in his eyes, almost like he’d been afraid Wooseok would say no.

If Hongseok noticed, he made no comment. Instead, he appeared to be even more pleased than the two of them put together; and he continued to voice his excitement for the rest of his visit.

  


**Burger #5**

In the fortnight between promising Hongseok and the day of the party itself, Wooseok began to feel something was missing. He swore he’d never seen so many couples wandering around before—and how come there were so many romantic movies currently showing at the cinema? Even the number of customers coming into the shop and wanting to find something for their husband or wife or children seemed to have increased.

This unease continued to eat at Wooseok even when he was at the party. He tried to distract himself by talking to Yuto and Hyunggu, or listening to Hwitaek play the keyboard, or even meeting as many of Hongseok and Jinho’s other friends as he could; and if he was alone, he busied himself by drinking from the glass in his hand. Yet whenever he saw Hongseok and Jinho, he always caught them cuddling up to each other, whether it was just a simple arm around the waist, or just the way they looked at each other, or even when, at one point, Jinho decided to hang off Hongseok’s neck while they were both in a fit of giggles.

“Woah, Wooseok-ie,” Shinwon said to him, when they found each other again after thirty minutes, “you look a little weird. You OK?”

Wooseok turned to his flatmate. He was looking concerned, even though the stare in his eyes was slightly out of focus, and his cheeks were pink from alcohol.

“I’m alright,” said Wooseok. His tone was a mix of certainty and hesitation. _Was_ he OK? “No, really, I am.”

Shinwon placed a hand on the side of Wooseok’s neck. His fingers were sprawled across the back, although Wooseok could feel his thumb and index finger had slipped under the neckline of his t-shirt.

“If you want to leave, I’m sure Hongseok won’t mind.”

“Hey, Shinwon—Wooseok—” said Hwitaek from somewhere behind them, before he slapped both hands onto Shinwon’s shoulders.

Wooseok had hung out with Hwitaek enough times to know that he was affectionate by nature. He never seemed satisfied to see his friends _without_ having touched them at least once. Tonight, though, Wooseok realised just how annoying his habit was. If only he could just prise his hands off Shinwon’s shoulders—or he could just pick up Hwitaek, since he was small enough for him to lift up—

“I swear your shoulders are getting wider, Shinwon-ie,” said Hwitaek. Wooseok’s face crimsoned; take your hands off my flatmate’s shoulders, he wanted to say. Wait, why was this a big deal?

“I hope not,” said Shinwon, grinning, as he let go of Wooseok and turned around to face Hwitaek. “I’ll never fit through any doors if they do.”

Hwitaek laughed. Wooseok pretended to scratch his head when he was really clasping one hand over his left ear to drown out the laugh. As long as Hwitaek was there, he wouldn’t have Shinwon to himself again.

“Oh, yeah, you know that song I’ve been working on?” said Hwitaek. “I’ve finally come up with some lyrics. Come on, I’ll sing it to you now.”

Hwitaek grabbed Shinwon’s wrist—stop touching him, Wooseok wanted to say—and dragged him off to the keyboard. Before Wooseok could follow them, Hongseok appeared in front of him. It was the first time Wooseok had seen him alone for the evening.

“Where’s Shinwon gone?” said Hongseok. “I don’t think I’ve seen him all evening.”

“You just missed him. He’s at the keyboard,” said Wooseok, and he nodded at the direction of the instrument. Shinwon was playing—although how well was questionable, given he did slip on the keys a couple of times—and Hwitaek, who appeared to be none the wiser, was singing next to him.

“I’ve been thinking,” said Hongseok, “Shinwon hasn’t gone out with anyone for ages, right?”

“Yeah.” Wooseok could still remember the last time he’d seen Shinwon date someone. The breakup had happened almost a year ago, and it had definitely been the worst one. Shinwon hadn’t been able to stop crying for weeks; and he’d coped by hugging Wooseok at every possible opportunity and forcing him to watch Netflix programmes with him at one in the morning, even though it had always ended with Shinwon falling asleep on Wooseok first, and the two of them waking up with stiff joints and all sorts of pains all over their bodies.

“I thought it was time we got him a boyfriend. What do you think about Shinwon and Hwitaek, as a couple?”

Wooseok started at the suggestion. Shinwon and Hwitaek, as a couple—absolutely not—

“No way—” Wooseok blurted out. He didn’t dare look at Hongseok.

“Pardon?” said Hongseok. Wooseok could hear the confusion in his voice. “Are you alright—?”

“I’m fine,” said Wooseok, in a monotone. “So, er, how come you ... you think they’d make a good pair?”

“Look at them,” said Hongseok, as he gestured at the keyboard. Wooseok glimpsed them as fast as he could—but even then, he saw the two of them laughing so much they were leaning on each other. “I also saw Hwitaek’s Instagram. The joint pictures they did—”

Wooseok’s head began to hurt. The flat seemed too noisy, and too small to fit that many people in.

“I’m sorry, Hongseok-ie,” he said, “but I think I want to go—”

“I’ll get Shinwon.”

Wooseok gripped Hongseok’s arm. The last person he wanted to see was Shinwon right now, not when he had dozens of conflicting thoughts running through his mind. He had to sort himself out first, and he needed peace and quiet for that.

“No,” said Wooseok, “don’t bother him. I’m only going to take the lift. I’ll be okay.”

“I don’t want you—”

“Apologise to Jinho for me. I’ll message him later, when I’m better.”

Wooseok managed to fight off Hongseok’s concerns, and he ended up leaving alone. Once he was out of the party, his head didn’t seem to spin so violently, but he still kept his back pressed to the walls of the lift as it descended. It wasn’t fair to blame Hwitaek only. It didn’t matter who Hongseok could have suggested, because Wooseok would never have accepted that they could be coupled up with Shinwon. No one could—because Shinwon had to be with _him_.

He staggered into his flat. To reach his own room, he had to pass Shinwon’s first; and on an impulse that was not entirely fuelled by alcohol, Wooseok entered his flatmate’s room. His clothes were either strewn on the floor, or poorly folded behind the barely shut wardrobe doors, and his bed remained unmade; but Wooseok ignored all that as he headed for the desk. A week ago, a photo frame had appeared next to Shinwon’s laptop—and every time Wooseok had been in his room, the frame had always been turned to face the wall.

Wooseok picked up the frame, and slowly turned it around. Staring back at him was the picture of him sitting under the tree—the very one that Shinwon had printed out so many weeks ago. Wooseok’s thumbs stroked the glass. Now that he thought about it, all of Shinwon’s most popular uploads to Instagram over the past year had all been photos taken by Wooseok. Of course Shinwon’s acting had improved; all this time, he’d been posing for his stupid, oblivious photographer. The camera had only been an excuse to flirt.

Wooseok put the frame down, and shuffled out into his own room. He made sure to lock the door before he curled up in his bed, placed his phone on his chest, and then opened up Shinwon’s Instagram account to scroll through his posts. He took his time, reliving all the memories that came with each photo, while cursing himself for being so stupid. He ignored the comments as best as he could; never before had the word “oppa” felt so grating; and why did all of Shinwon’s fans love leaving hearts?

Wooseok continued digging through the archives until he was jolted by a bang on his door. He sat up, knowing exactly who it was on the other side.

“Jung Wooseok—!” Shinwon’s voice was clear. “Why didn’t you tell me you were ill?”

“I’m not,” said Wooseok.

“Why did you leave without me?”

“I didn’t want to bother you.”

“How am I supposed to have fun, knowing you’re ill?”

“I’m not ill.”

“Open the door.”

Wooseok walked over, but he leaned on the door and placed both hands over the doorknob. He was sure his lock would hold up, but it was better to have the precaution.

“Shinwon-ie, I’m fine.” Wooseok flinched as he felt Shinwon slap the door again. “Go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you open the door.”

“Hyung, please, just get some rest. I’m OK, I swear.”

“Don’t do this to me, Wooseok-ie.”

“I’m sorry, hyung, but just give me tonight. Please, go to bed.”

Wooseok leaned further into the door. He was expecting another blow—except all he heard was the sound of Shinwon walking away. He stayed by the door for a while; there was some rustling coming from the other side, but there was no other attempt to try and break the lock. After waiting for a while, Wooseok figured it was safe to return to his bed, and he continued to scroll through the account.

He had no idea when he drifted off. When he woke up, all he knew was that he’d slept with his limbs at odd angles, there was a crick in his neck, and his phone was face down on his chest. He groaned as he gently sat up, massaging his neck as he did so. He shook his phone to reveal it was just after ten in the morning. He stood up, and then realised he was still wearing his clothes from last night.

He unlocked the door, and was about to step out when he looked down and saw he had almost trodden on a duvet. Wooseok squinted—Shinwon was cocooned inside the duvet, his head resting on his pillow—wait, had he just spent the whole night sleeping outside his door—?

“Shinwon?” Wooseok’s voice was hoarse. “Hyung?”

There was no reaction. Wooseok stepped over his flatmate, and kneeled down to face him. He could have gently awoken him, or spoken to him again—but on closer inspection, he realised there were dried tear marks down Shinwon’s cheeks, and all of the guilt from yesterday came back to him. No, he wouldn’t wake up Shinwon now; it wasn’t the right thing to do just yet. Instead, he clambered back into his room, grabbed the nearest pen he could find, and scribbled on a barely touched stack of Post-it Notes: _I’m going to get us breakfast. I’ll be back soon, hyung-ie_.

He wriggled out of his old clothes, and threw on the nearest clean shirt and jeans he could find. He didn’t bother shutting his door as he stepped over Shinwon again, and left the note by his head.

Before he left the flat, Wooseok switched his phone onto silent; and it stayed that way as he took the bus to town, and found their local McDonalds. His order was sixth in the queue, and it was only then that he checked his phone for the first time. Both Hongseok and Jinho had messaged him about last night, but Wooseok’s attention was soon seized by Shinwon’s text.

**Shinwon-ie**  
Where are you?

**Wooseok**  
I’m at your favourite place.

**Shinwon-ie**  
ㅎㅁㅎ

**Wooseok**  
There’s a slight queue. I might be a while.

**Shinwon-ie**  
ㅠ.ㅠ

Wooseok’s order was soon called; and he clutched the takeaway as he made his way back to the bus stop. His fingers dug into the top of the paper bag, crinkling it to the point that it could no longer be straightened properly again. He tried to ignore the worry that Shinwon would refuse the burger, or slam the door in his face, or give him a few choice words. Then Wooseok tried to counter this by reminding himself that Shinwon hadn’t _seemed_ pissed off in their texts—but then, all the talking had been done through emoticons. It was easy to hide his feelings behind them.

There was hardly any traffic around, and the bus seemed to encounter more green lights than red. Wooseok had no idea whether to be thrilled or annoyed by how fast the journey was going. He gripped the bag tighter. It seemed almost illogical for him to be this nervous—Shinwon had made it pretty clear how he’d felt about him for the past year—but now that Wooseok had realised how blind he’d been, and how he’d behaved last night—

The bus turned a corner, and Wooseok started when he realised his stop was further down the road. Someone had already pressed the stop button and was waiting by the rear doors. Wooseok joined them just as the bus came to the stop; and for a split second, he wondered whether he should just ride it until the next stop and then walk back. He got off the bus anyway, deciding that it would only be worse if he delayed his big presentation.

Everything seemed to happen too quickly, and he soon found himself standing in front of his own flat door. He readjusted his t-shirt before he rang the doorbell, and then held up the takeaway.

Shinwon seemed to take an age to answer the door; but when he did, Wooseok saw he had washed his face, combed his hair, and changed his clothes. The Post-it Note he’d left earlier was now stuck just above his chest.

“I got your note,” said Shinwon.

“I got you breakfast,” said Wooseok.

“There better be a burger in there, Jung Wooseok.”

“Of course there is, Ko Shinwon.”

There was so much affection in Shinwon’s eyes that Wooseok felt a little exposed, now that he wasn’t holding a camera. He stepped into his flat as he held out the takeaway, and it was the first time Wooseok saw him look at the bag. Shinwon tried to take it, except Wooseok wouldn’t let go—and then he hooked his arm around Shinwon’s shoulders, and pulled him in to kiss him.

Shinwon leaned in, and he began to shut the door by pinning Wooseok up against it. They parted the moment the door slammed, and Wooseok gasped from the jolt. He had just about recovered when Shinwon kissed him again. His lips alone pushed Wooseok’s mouth wide open, and both his hands ran in all directions through Wooseok’s hair. Wooseok cupped the back of his head, even though Shinwon was pressing against him hard anyway.

“You owe me so many burgers,” said Shinwon, when they parted again.

Wooseok pouted. “That’s _all_ you can think about, hyung?” Clearly, he would have to distract Shinwon more, so Wooseok tugged the front of his t-shirt and kissed him again.

***

A few adjustments had to be made in the first fortnight. Wooseok figured that they would have to agree whose bedroom would become theirs, but it turned out that neither of their beds was _quite_ wide enough to fit two people comfortably for a whole night’s sleep. The idea of sleeping separately, like before, was too unbearable—so they ended up dragging their duvets and pillows out of their rooms and onto the floor of the living room, where they could cuddle and wriggle about with no restrictions. The compromise worked—except for on the nights where both Wooseok and Shinwon decided that they were wearing far too many clothes, at which point it became deeply unsexy and not at all special to be rutting around on the floor. That was when they’d drag each other, while their mouths and limbs were interlocked, into whoever’s room was nearest.

Wooseok woke up after one such evening, alone in Shinwon’s room. The door had been left open, and he could hear Shinwon moving about from outside. He squinted at the clothes on the floor; his boxers and jeans were still there, but the only shirts left in the room belonged to Shinwon. He could have just returned to his own room, but he decided that he might as well put on whatever was around; he wanted the smell of Shinwon’s cologne on his body.

He picked a grey fan-made One Direction t-shirt that Shinwon had bought off Amazon a few years ago. The shoulders were a little too wide for him, and the sleeves fell to just above his elbows as a result; but otherwise, the shirt fitted him just as well. Wooseok shuffled out of the room, and he went to the kitchen to find Shinwon—where, the moment he entered, he heard a camera shutter go off.

“Morning, gorgeous,” he heard Shinwon say.

Wooseok rolled his eyes. Shinwon was facing the door with his phone in his hands, clearly waiting for his boyfriend to come in so he could snap a photo. He was wearing Wooseok’s hoodie like it had always been his all along, and Wooseok blushed as he looked him up and down. How the hell did Shinwon manage to look good in anything?

“If you wanted a photo, you could’ve just asked,” said Wooseok. He walked over to Shinwon, and leaned with his back to the counter as well.

“It’s about time my followers saw how cute my photographer is.” Shinwon put his phone away, and then placed one hand over Wooseok’s.

“I’m feeling anything but cute right now.”

“Well, _I_ think you’ve never looked cuter. At least my shirt fits you.”

“I’m amazed my hoodie fits you as well.”

“You always look so adorable with it on,” said Shinwon, before he wrapped both arms around Wooseok’s shoulders. “How do I look? Does it work on me?”

“Everything looks good on you,” said Wooseok. Then he straightened up a little. “Wait. Stop distracting me. You better delete that photo.”

Shinwon pouted. “Let me keep it. I’ll buy you a burger to make up for it.”

“You’ve never bought me a burger before. How do you know it’ll work?”

“You tell me then. What should I do to make up for it?”

Wooseok thought for a moment, before he kissed Shinwon.


End file.
